It was something of a Dorothy returns to Kansas moment, but Mayor Paul Winfield and North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield are to be commended for taking action to get the Washington Street bridge replacement project at Clark Street under way.

After all, a detour around the failing span has been in place for more than a year and it’s not rational to think commerce can thrive as long as a key link from Interstate 20 to the downtown area remains closed.

When Dorothy was ready to leave Oz, Glinda, the good witch, told her she’d had that ability all along. Similarly, the $4 million infusion the city needed to complete funding for what will be an $8.6 million railway tunnel project has been sitting in the bank, waiting to be drawn out under an authorization the city gave itself in a bond issue years ago.

The only thing necessary for Dorothy was to tap her heels together. The only requirement for city officials was that they redirect the funds that were going to be borrowed to put a new recreation area in service off Fisher Ferry Road and repave some city streets, mostly in the North Ward.

South Ward Alderman Sid Beauman, a consistent advocate of the park project, opposed stalling that work. He should have stepped up as did Mayfield, who now must answer to constituents whose streets need paving, and recognized the urgency of the Washington Street project.

The paving and the park work might go forward. Mayor Winfield said the city may learn as soon as June whether a federal earmark will be forthcoming to cancel out the reallocation of bond funds. Either way, it was the right decision.

Some things are just basic — and allowing the city’s main north-south road to be blocked year after year has been inexcusable.

Not every challenge can be met so simply. This one could. It will be. And for that citizens can be grateful.